How do you know when it’s time to move on? I’m not sure Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has an answer to that for himself. But not to worry, because everyone else seems to. It’s become de rigueur at this point to hold the opinion that it would be in their mutual interests for Tomlin and Pittsburgh to part company.
If they do, it would probably be because he simply isn’t getting through to his players the way he once was. At least that’s the impression Rich Eisen gives us in relaying a conversation that he had with OLB T.J. Watt. He described some of it on a recent episode of the Rich Eisen Show.
“T.J. Watt said it was ‘wild’—he used that phrase—it was ‘wild’ to him that some of the players upon hearing [Tomlin’s address to players in meetings] don’t respond in a way on a field—or on a practice field! He used that word—it’s wild that some of them don’t want to practice in the way that everybody is supposed to practice”.
Again, Eisen is somewhat informally relaying details of a conversation that he had with Watt, presumably as part of the pre-game broadcast preparations for last Saturday’s game to the Indianapolis Colts. These are not direct quotes or off the record, but they should at least represent what he said.
“T.J. Watt also said that the younger generation takes criticism personally”, he added. “He didn’t call it a problem. I just inferred it was. And then you see guys on the field like George Pickens turn down some contact on a running play, Diontae Johnson did the same in a win over Cincinnati”.
Insert Cartman “how do I reach these kids” meme here.
Of course, Tomlin is 51 years old and has three teenage or young adult children. He is routinely voted as the coach players most want to play for. Yet the evidence on the field at times suggests that this is a group unwilling to play its hardest for him.
His ongoing tug-of-war with Pickens is a perfect example. He says during his press conferences that they have great conversations and there are things that need to be worked on. Then Pickens doesn’t even seem sure the conversation ever happened and denies the problems Tomlin mentioned are a problem. This is a kid who doesn’t seem to be being reached.
But it’s far from just a Pickens thing, even if he is the most prominent example. Tomlin’s teams are also playing fundamentally unsound. They are committing numerous unforced errors that they can ill afford. He can’t possibly be happy with the way things are going.
Yet Watt gets it. Eisen repeatedly said Watt told him Tomlin is the only coach he wants to play for. That he can’t understand how his message doesn’t resonate with some other people in the locker room the way it does for him. That they don’t always feel obliged as he does to give his all on the practice field. Can this be corrected, if true? I don’t know.
